Sri Lanka lose $125,000 on Windies series

CRICKET: Sri Lanka Cricket on Saturday said it had lost $125,000
after bad weather forced a one-day series against the visiting West
Indies to be rescheduled.

The series was due to be played in December but has been postponed to
this month and early February, and reduced from five matches to three.

Sri Lanka Cricket Chief Executive Ajith Jayasekera said the board
lost television fees of $25,000 for each of the original meetings.

“The matches couldn’t be played and we didn’t get the fee for each
match,” Jayasekera told AFP. He added that the partner broadcaster Ten
Sports would not show the current series as it was considered as a
separate tour rather than part of the previous programme.

The matches will still be shown by Sri Lanka’s national television
station Rupavahini, but will not be broadcast to international
audiences.

They were to have been played at two of Sri Lanka’s World Cup venues
but will now all be held at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.

But Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara played down any significance
to the switch ahead of the World Cup.

“Our mental approach has to be regardless of getting experience on
the wickets. There is a World Cup to be played, and played well. So our
preparation is going to be the same,” he said.

“We are strong enough and we have the character to deal with whatever
comes our way.”

Sri Lanka, the losing finalists of the 2007 edition, are in Pool A
with defending champions Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Zimbabwe,
Kenya and Canada.